Poly(ether-b-amide)/Tween20 Gel Membranes for CO2/N2 Separation

Poly(ether-b-amide) (PEBA)/Tween20 gel membranes containing from 0 wt% to 65 wt% of Tween20 in PEBA2533, PEBA3533, and PEBA4033 were prepared by solvent casting method for CO₂/N₂ separation. The gas separation properties of the polymeric gel membranes were tested for single gases of CO₂ and N₂ at 25°C with the feed pressure of 0.6 atm. For all pure PEBA membranes, CO₂ and N₂ permeability decreased as the amount of polyamide block increased, but CO₂/N₂ selectivity increased. For PEBA/Tween20 gel membranes, both the CO₂ permeability and CO₂/N₂ selectivity were greatly enhanced with the increase of Tween20 content. For the membrane of PEBA4033/Tween20-65, CO₂/N₂ selectivity, and CO₂ permeability reached 54 and 146 Barrer, respectively, which is very interesting for potential application in CO₂ removal from flue gas.